If we don't take time for self-care, we can experience increases in anxiety, anger, fatigue, depression, and heart disease (Ali, 2019). Research has shown that self-care can reduce stress and anxiety levels while increasing self-compassion (Shapiro, et. al., 2007).
You'll feel stressed and exhausted
This in turn can lead to burnout and a feeling of resentment. For example, it could be that you are exhausted from taking care of everyone else's needs. Over time, if you don't factor in self-care activities, you could end up resenting your loved ones.
Poor physical health can lead to poor mental health, and poor mental health can precipitate or worsen physical problems, causing a vicious cycle that may be hard to break.
Self-care is an activity that's good for your physical or mental well-being. These activities are different for every person, depending on what you need and enjoy. A lack of self-care may result in burnout and an increase in anxious feelings. Take small, mindful steps to incorporate self-care into your daily life.
What can start out as unpleasant (and even scary) physical symptoms, can be a sign of poor self care. Symptoms can include dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pains, heart palpitations, abdominal pain, headaches, GI disturbance, and fainting spells.
Self-neglect can be a result of: a person's brain injury, dementia or other mental disorder. obsessive compulsive disorder or hoarding disorder. physical illness which has an effect on abilities, energy levels, attention span, organisational skills or motivation.
Self-Care is often perceived as selfish
One of the main reasons people fail to take care of themselves is because they feel it is selfish. 'Self-care can is often seen by others as selfish because most of us have been taught to take care of others before we take care of ourselves.
Identify your self-care needs
Think about what you value most in your day-to-day life. Make a list of all your physical, mental, emotional, and professional needs. A good example of a self-care plan is one that considers all areas of well-being. Writing down your needs can be a real eye-opener.
“Incapacity” means you're unable to care for yourself or your affairs. It's important not to confuse incapacity with physical health problems. You can have a physical health problem and still be fully capable of making your own decisions.
Self-neglect – aka the inability or reluctance to take care of oneself – is a common sign of depression and other forms of mental illness, and can extend to obvious body odour, poor oral hygiene, or a person regularly wearing unwashed clothes.
Neglecting personal care can cause increases in anxiety, distractibility, anger, and fatigue. You may also experience decreases in sleep, relationship satisfaction, self-esteem, empathy, and compassion.
Failing to care for yourself physically, or not encouraging others to care for themselves, can result in poor mental health outcomes. It's been estimated that 1/3rd of those with chronic illness suffer from depression.
Its benefits are better physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being. Research suggests self-care promotes positive health outcomes, such as fostering resilience, living longer, and becoming better equipped to manage stress.
Based on the answers from 1,000 American adults, 2 in 5 people say they rarely make time for themselves each day.
Being more active (not just going to the gym, but taking more stairs or parking farther away) Planning out healthy, nutritious meals that fuel you and don't just fill you. Reading more (set a goal of a new book every month) Watching a movie.
Apathy is when you lack motivation to do things or just don't care much about what's going on around you. Apathy can be a symptom of mental health problems, Parkinson's disease, or Alzheimer's disease. It often lasts a long time. You may lack the desire to do anything that involves thinking or your emotions.
Someone who is selfish cares only about themselves and doesn't consider others.
If you have schizoid personality disorder, you may be seen as keeping to yourself or rejecting others. You may not be interested in or able to form close friendships or romantic relationships. Because you do not tend to show emotion, it may appear that you do not care about others or what's going on around you.
Self-care includes all the things you do to take care of your well-being in four key dimensions – your emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual health.
Namely, there are 8 main areas of self-care: physical, psychological, emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, and financial.
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines self-care as “providing adequate attention to one's own physical and psychological wellness” and believes the practice so crucial that it is considered an “ethical imperative” of mental health professionals.
Guilt is not helpful but it often shows up
Notice if you resonate with any of the following common reasons high-performance professionals find it difficult to prioritize self-care: Bias: Feeling we do not need it - 'Professionals do not need to rest'. Faulty Logic: Thinking self-care is selfish - Hustle mentality.